Semiconductor device reel deformation prevention apparatus

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for storing semiconductor devices includes a reel having a hub and at least two flanges along an axis of the reel. The flanges are spaced and face each other. The semiconductor devices, which typically are attached to a tape, are wound around the hub and between the flanges. At least one holding member is disposed between the flanges at the rim of the apparatus, which is the perimeter of the flanges, and abuts the inner surfaces of the flanges. The holding member prevents the flanges from being deformed during vacuum packing.

BACKGROUND

The present application is generally directed to an apparatus forstoring semiconductor devices, and more particularly to an apparatus forpreventing reels for packing semiconductor devices from being deformed.

After semiconductor devices are assembled, they often are attached to atape that is then wound around a reel for shipping and delivery. Thereel typically is sealed in a vacuumed bag to protect the semiconductordevices from unwanted environmental influences, e.g., moisture or dustparticles. This vacuum packing can be problematic especially when thereel is not fully loaded.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional reel 100 comprising ahub 102 and a pair of spaced flanges 104. There is a space 106 betweenthe flanges 104 for receiving a tape of semiconductor devices 108. Inthis example, the reel 100, which has a radius R₁, is only rolled upwith packed tape 108 to the extent of about half that radius, while theremaining space 106 between the flanges 104 is empty. The flanges 104may be solid or spoked and typically include a space for receiving alabel. When the tape 108 and reel 100 are sealed in a vacuum bag, thevacuum process can cause the flanges 104 to deform since there is nosupport at the edges of the flanges 104, as shown in FIG. 1, where thedistal ends of the flanges 104 have been pulled towards each other.

The deformation of the flanges 104 can cause problems, for example, whenthe tape 108 is unloaded from the reel 100, the now narrowed spacebetween the flanges 104 can block the tape 108 from being unloadedsmoothly. The deformation of the flanges 104 can also damage the tape108 and sometimes even the semiconductor devices attached to the tape108. Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a reel loaded with atape of semiconductor devices that is not apt to deformation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the above recited features of the presentinvention can be understood in detail, a more particular description ofthe invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference toembodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Itis to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate onlytypical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to beconsidered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to otherequally effective embodiments. The drawings are for facilitating anunderstanding of the invention and thus are not necessarily drawn toscale. Advantages of the subject matter claimed will become apparent tothose skilled in the art upon reading this description in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals havebeen used to designate like elements, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional reel half-loaded witha tape of semiconductor devices;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an apparatus forstoring semiconductor devices in accordance with a first embodiment of aholding member of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a planar side view of an apparatus for storing semiconductordevices in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a planar side view of an apparatus for storing semiconductordevices in accordance with another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an apparatus forstoring semiconductor devices in accordance with a second embodiment ofa holding member;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an apparatus forstoring semiconductor devices in accordance with a third embodiment of aholding member;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an apparatus forstoring semiconductor devices in accordance with a fourth embodiment ofa holding member;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an apparatus forstoring semiconductor devices in accordance with a fifth embodiment of aholding member; and

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of a holding member with openings on itsbridge in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention provides an apparatus for storing semiconductordevices including a reel having a hub and at least two parallel flangesalong an axis of the reel. The flanges are spaced and face each other,and receive the semiconductor devices therebetween. There is at leastone holding member disposed between the flanges that prevents theflanges from being deformed, such as during vacuum packing.

The holding member(s) can be configured to include at least one clipthat clamps a part of an edge of a corresponding flange. The holdingmember may be T-shaped, M-shaped, or U-shaped, and can have surfaces atrespective distal ends that support the inner surface of the flanges.The holding member(s) also may include one or more openings in an outersurface thereof. In a presently preferred embodiment, a plurality ofholding members are spaced around the rim or perimeter of the reel.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a partial cross-sectional side view of anapparatus 200 for storing semiconductor devices according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown. Generally, theapparatus 200 includes a reel 202 having a hub 102 and spaced, parallelflanges 104, and a holding member 204. The flanges 104 are connected toopposing sides of the hub 102 along an axis x-x of the hub 102. Theflanges 104 extend perpendicularly to the axis x-x and are parallel witheach other. The flanges 104 can be disc-shaped, with one side thereoffacing another flange. The space between the flanges 104 is used forreceiving a tape of loaded semiconductor devices, where the loaded tapeis wound around the hub 102 and between the flanges 104, as is known inthe art. It will be understood that the reel 202 may include moredisc-shaped flanges 104 supported by the hub 102, configuring themultiple flanges 104 to be parallel with each other. In such a way, thereel 202 may have more spaces between pairs of neighboring flanges 104for receiving additional tapes. The reel 202 is rotatable about the axisx-x for loading and unloading tapes of semiconductor devices. The reel202 can be constructed of various types of material such as a hightemperature thermoplastic material, paper, composite material, etc. Thedimensions of the reel 202 may vary but typically conform with knownindustry standards such that they are compatible with various machinesused in the semiconductor device assembly process.

The holding member 204 is sized to be fit between the distal or outerends of the flanges 104 and abut an inner surface of the outer ends ofthe flanges in order to hold the flanges 104 in place—that is, theholding member 204 prevents the ends of the flanges 104 from beingdeformed when sealed in a bag and vacuumed. The holding member 204 canbe adapted to match the peripheral edge of the flanges 104. For example,if the flanges 104 are circular, the holding member 204 can be arcshaped.

Along the axis x-x, the holding member 204 has respective distal ends206. At each end 206, the holding member 204 has a surface 208 thatfaces and abuts an inner surface of the flange 104. The surfaces 208facing the flange 104 are in contact with the flange 104 so that theends of the flanges 104 are supported and resist deformation, keepingthe flanges 104 in position such that any tape therebetween is notpinched. Between the distal ends 206 of the holding member 204, there isa bridge 210 that extends parallel to the axis x-x and connects thedistal ends 206.

The apparatus 200 can include at least one holding member 204 forholding the ends of the flanges 104. In one embodiment, with referenceto FIG. 3, a holding member 302 extends along the entire perimeter ofthe reel as defined at the outer edges of the distal ends of the flanges104. In other embodiments, with reference to FIG. 4, multiple holdingmembers 402 may be discontinuously distributed along the perimeterdefined by the outer edges of the distal ends of the flanges 104. Itwill be understood that there may be multiple holding members evenly orunevenly distributed along the outer edges of the flanges. In apresently preferred embodiment, the apparatus 200 includes at least fourof the holding members 204 spaced along the perimeter of the reel 202.

Referring again to FIG. 2, on at least one of the flanges 104, thesurface 208 of the holding member 204 covers an outer surface 112 of oneof the flanges 104 such that the holding member 204 fits around an innersurface of the flange 104, a peripheral surface 114 of the flange 204,and the outer surface 112 of the flange 104 such that the holding member204 acts as a clip (portion of the holding member 204 within the dottedcircle) that attaches to the edge of the flange 104. In suchconfiguration, the holding member 204 is M-shaped.

The holding member 204 has an arm that extends along the outer surface112 of the flange 104. The arm has a length that may vary, as will bediscussed in greater detail with reference to FIG. 7.

With reference to FIG. 5, another embodiment of a holding member 502 isshown. The holding member 502 in this embodiment is generally U-shapedand has distal ends with surfaces 504 that are perpendicular to the x-xaxis and that abut the inner distal ends of the flanges 104. The distalends of the holding member 502 also have surfaces that abut theperipheral surfaces 114 of the flanges 104. However, in this embodiment,the distal ends of the holding member 502 do not face or abut the outersurface 112 of the flange 104. That is, the ends of the holding member502 are flush with the outer surfaces 112 of the flanges 104.

Referring to FIG. 6, a still further embodiment of a holding member 602is shown. The holding member 602 has a central bridge 604 that isthicker than that of the holding member 502 shown in FIG. 5. The holdingmember 602 is thus configured to be T-shaped, with the surfaces 606 atdistal ends of the bridge 604 that abut the inner surfaces of the distalends of the flanges 104. Similar to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 and5, the distal ends of the holding member 602 extend to cover theperipheral surfaces 114 of the flanges 104, but in this case not theouter surfaces 112. That is, the outer ends of the distal ends of theholding member 602 are flush with the outer surfaces 112 of the flanges104.

Referring to FIG. 7, yet another embodiment of a holding member 702 isshown. The holding member 702 is similar to the holding member 204 (FIG.2) in that the holding member 702 has distal ends 704 that clip over theends of the flanges 104 and cover the inner walls of the flanges 104,the outer walls 112, and the peripheral ends 114 of the flanges 104. Theholding member 702 differs from the holding member 204 in that outerarms 706 that abut the outer surface 112 of the flanges 104 are longerthan inner arms 708. In alternative embodiments, the outer arms 706 maybe equal to (as in FIG. 2), slightly shorter (as illustrated with dashedline 710) or much shorter (as illustrated with dashed line 712) than theinner arm 708.

It shall be understood that, the holding member 704 can be made throughbending a piece of rigid material, such as aluminum, steel, etc., or canbe formed as bended through molding. Optionally, a bending angle a froma bridge 714 at the inner arm 708 can be from around 90° to around 180°.A distance d₁ between the inner arms 708 of the distal ends 704 at eachend of the bridge 714 can be greater than twice a thickness t of thebridge 714. The length of either the inner arm 708 or the outer arm 706of the distal ends 704 may be configured to be in the range of 0 to halfof the diameter of the reel 202.

FIG. 8 illustrates yet another embodiment of a holding member 802 of thepresent invention. The holding member 802 is similar to the holdingmember 202 depicted in FIG. 2, except that a central bridge 804 of theholding member 802 is thicker than the bridge 210 of the holding member202. In this embodiment, a thickness of the bridge 804 is greater than alength of the outer arms at the distal ends of the holding member 802.

FIG. 9 shows yet another embodiment of a holding member 902 havingdistal ends (e.g., clips) 904 connected by a central bridge 906. Theholding member 902 may be U-shaped, T-shaped, or M-shaped, as previouslydiscussed. In this embodiment, the holding member 902 includes multipleopenings 908 formed in the bridge 906. The openings 908 function forstress relief. The openings 908 also can reduce the weight of theholding member 902. The openings 908 may be formed by punching oretching the bridge 906. Preferably the openings extend through theentire thickness of the bridge 908 - that is, the openings form throughholes. Besides the circular shape illustrated in FIG. 9, the openings908 may have other possible shapes, such as triangular, square, etc. Theopenings 908 are not necessarily queued up linearly, and any otherdistribution on the bridge 906 is possible.

With the holding members being included in the apparatus, the flanges ofthe reel are supported by the holding members even when the reel is notfilled with tape. In situations where the loaded reel is sealed in a bagand vacuumed, the edges of the flanges are prevented from deforming,either inwards or outwards such that a tape of semiconductor deviceswound around the reel is protected from being pinched. During unloading,the tape can be smoothly released, eliminating potential damage to thedevices stored on the tape. Furthermore, as the reel is often stackedwith other reels during storage and transportation, the holding memberprovides necessary support for the edges of the flanges, substantiallyenhancing the stiffness of the apparatus.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in thecontext of describing the subject matter (particularly in the context ofthe following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular andthe plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted bycontext. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended toserve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separatevalue falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, andeach separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it wereindividually recited herein. Furthermore, the foregoing description isfor the purpose of illustration only, and not for the purpose oflimitation, as the scope of protection sought is defined by the claimsas set forth hereinafter together with any equivalents thereof entitledto. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “suchas”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illustrate thesubject matter and does not pose a limitation on the scope of thesubject matter unless otherwise claimed. The use of the term “based on”and other like phrases indicating a condition for bringing about aresult, both in the claims and in the written description, is notintended to foreclose any other conditions that bring about that result.No language in the specification should be construed as indicating anynon-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention asclaimed.

Preferred embodiments are described herein, including the best modeknown to the inventor for carrying out the claimed subject matter. Ofcourse, variations of those preferred embodiments will become apparentto those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoingdescription. The inventor expects skilled artisans to employ suchvariations as appropriate, and the inventor intends for the claimedsubject matter to be practiced otherwise than as specifically describedherein. Accordingly, this claimed subject matter includes allmodifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in theclaims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, anycombination of the above-described elements in all possible variationsthereof is encompassed unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwiseclearly contradicted by context.

1. An apparatus for storing semiconductor devices, comprising: a reel having a hub and a pair of spaced, parallel flanges attached to the hub opposing sides of the hub, wherein the semiconductor devices are received between the flanges and wound around the hub, wherein the flanges have proximal ends adjacent the hub and distal ends spaced from the hub; and at least one holding member disposed between the flanges, the at least one holding member being arranged between at least part of an edge of the flanges at the distal ends of the flanges, wherein the holding member prevents the flanges from being deformed.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one holding member has a central bridge that connects opposing distal ends of the at least one holding member, wherein the distal ends of the at least one holding member abut inner surfaces of the distal ends of the flanges to prevent deformation thereof.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the central bridge includes one or more through holes.
 4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one holding member is T-shaped.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein outer ends of the at least one holding member are flush with outer surfaces at the distal ends of the flanges and a vertical portion of the T-shape abuts the inner faces of the flanges.
 6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one holding member is U-shaped.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising projections extending from the distal ends, wherein the projections extend over the distal ends of the flanges and are flush with outer surfaces of the flanges.
 8. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one holding member is M-shaped.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the distal ends of the at least one holding member form clips that receive the distal ends of the flanges.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the clips have outer arms of length L.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the lengths of the arms is less than a thickness of the central bridge.
 12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the lengths of the arms is greater than a thickness of the central bridge.
 13. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one holding member comprises at least one clip that clamps to the distal end of one of the flanges.
 14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the holding member is rigid.
 15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one holding member comprises a continuous band that covers the distal end of the flanges and the space therebetween.
 16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one holding member comprises a plurality of holding members spaced from each other around the distal ends of the flanges. 